Anne-Marie Duff was born in London in 1970 to Irish parents.   She first became known to the general UK public with her role as Fiona Gallagher in the TV series “Shameless”.   She starred as Queen Elizabeth the first in the lavish teleision adaption of “The Virgin Queen”.   She played on stage Pegeen Mike to Cillian Murphy’s Christy Mahon in Garry Hyne’s aclaimed production of “The Playboy of the Western World”.   Anne-Marie Duff is married to the actor James McAvoy.

TCM overview:

Born in London to Irish immigrant parents, Anne-Marie Duff didn’t consider acting until her mid-teens. She attended London’s Drama Centre, which helped her cultivate a career on the stage, appearing in “King Lear” and “War and Peace” while still a student. Duff’s first big break came when she was cast as eldest child Fiona McBride on somewhat controversial British sitcom “Shameless” (Channel 4 2004-13). She landed an even bigger role portraying Queen Elizabeth I in the lavish television drama “The Virgin Queen” (BBC 2006). Duff made her way to the big screen in the suburban drama “Notes on a Scandal” (2006), the 1980s period piece “Is Anybody There?” opposite Michael Caine (2008), and the John Lennon biopic “Nowhere Boy” (2009), in which she played the teenage Lennon’s estranged mother Julia. In 2013, Duff made her Broadway debut starring in “Macbeth” as Lady MacBeth opposite Ethan Hawke.

Interview with Anne Marie Duff in “Time Out” can be found online here.